Louisville Basketball: Top 15 players to ever play for legend coach Denny Crum

Basketball Hall of Fame coach Dennis Crum died on Tuesday at his home. Born in California, he played collegiately at UCLA back in the late 1950’s and later returned to the school as an assistant under legendary coach John Wooden. Crum was of course most known for a prosperous three-decade run as the head coach at Louisville Basketball, arriving in 1971 before retiring in 2001.

Crum was responsible for a great deal of success for the Cardinals during those thirty years in charge. He took the program to the Final Four in his first season; the first of seven trips he’d make at Louisville. He’d later lead the Cardinals to their first two national championships in the sport, cutting down the nets in 1980 and 1986.

Over that successful 30-year stint, Crum won 675 games, including 42 in the NCAA Tournament. He also recruited a slew of fantastic basketball players to Louisville throughout his tenure, winning conference titles and postseason games while members of the MVC, the Metro Conference, and Conference USA. The Cardinals rose into one of the finest programs in college basketball during his tenure.

Crum’s legacy was his success at Louisville, his connections to Wooden and other legends of the game, and the players he recruited, coached, and taught for all those years. Today, we’re going to be focusing on some of the best players that played for him during his time leading Louisville. There are dozens of players who won’t be mentioned today who had a role in Louisville’s success, but we’re doing our best to focus on the fifteen best of the bunch.